Cole Palmer transfer comes top of undesirable rankings | OneFootball

We’re almost back to Premier League action, with Mauricio Pochettino’s press conference coming up tomorrow to signal the start of a new match week.

But until then we’re still in the international break, looking back at the season so far. The Athletic provided a really nice little feature to close out the fortnight, asking agents to look at the deals conducted this summer and what they made of them.

Chelsea dominated in one category – 8 of the 19 agents asked voted for Cole Palmer as the “most surprising” transfer.

This feels like one they don’t yet want to write off as bad because they know he’s a talented player, but “surprising” certainly feels like a backhanded compliment at very best. One of the agents summed it up pretty well with his quotes on the matter:

“Explain Cole Palmer to me. Chelsea didn’t need him. And he’s on his pathway, he’s done incredibly well to get the exposure he got at Man City and that shows the level of player he is. It doesn’t make sense for Chelsea. It doesn’t make sense for City if they believe in him — but that might say something. Equally as importantly, what’s it done for the lad? You’ve got a really tough pathway at Man City, but all the natural positive emotions of coming through an academy. I’d get it if he moved to go and play games, to be a superstar and be the first name on the teamsheet. But he’s just got the same problem now in a different shirt.”

Palmer is likely to start this Sunday, where he can get to work showing that this was a very smart signing, not just a very surprising one.